The potential of forensic analysis on human bones found in riverine environment

Abstract Human remains found in aquatic contexts are frequently recovered incomplete and badly decomposed, and therefore present a challenge for medico-legal institutes as their possibilities of analysis for identification and investigation of cause and manner of death are limited. This article aims to demonstrate the potential of forensic examination and analyses (DNA, toxicology, diatoms and entomology) on a set of bones recovered from a river in Strasbourg and the possibility to trigger identification of the victim and circumstances of death despite the state of decomposition and incompleteness of remains.